This week, meet one of the most delightful, forward thinking winemakers in America today; Tyler Thomas. After working for producers like Donelan Family Wines and Hyde de Villaine in the Napa Valley, Winemaker Tyler Thomas left the fabled North Coast of California in 2013 to explore making Pinot Noir and Cabernet in Santa Barbara County. Many of his winemaking friends told him “you don’t leave Hollywood to make movies in Texas,” but Tyler was drawn to the chance to work with great estate fruit, and a family who is invested in making great wines in a region with tremendous freedom.

David was particularly excited to have Tyler on the show not simply because his employers, Jim and Mary Dierberg, are at the forefront of Santa Barbara winemaking with three estates in three Santa Barbara AVAs. What intrigued David the most was the fact that the Dierberg’s actually have a 250-year plan for their winemaking business. Such a notion is not uncommon in Europe, but in America, where change is always in the wind, the idea is pretty much unheard of. So what’s it like to think many generations down the road? Well, you’ll have to give a listen to find out!